new Photos app sharing library across users

How do I share one Photos (v 1.0) library with multiple users on one Mac? Currently, I have a 115 GB iPhoto (v 9.6.1) library that I share across users on one Mac. It's stored in the shared folder, and all family members have access. After installing the new Photos app and upgrading my library, I moved the new Photos app library into our shared folder, and changed permissions to allow read & write access for a second user, but it still will not open in that user's account. I must avoid duplicating the iPhoto library in each user account because I don't have enough disk space for 3 115GB libraries.

OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB

Posted on Apr 10, 2015 10:09 AM

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139 replies

Aug 29, 2016 5:16 PM in response to jazznewt

If so, you are reading it wrong.


This is a limitation of the Photos app, not the Mac itself or even OSX.


The OP wants to have multiple users making changes in a database at any one time.


The basic Photos app that is included with a Mac does not offer this. It is a single user database design. If you do not need multiple "authors" in the Photos database at the same time, there is no concern.

Aug 29, 2016 11:08 PM in response to Rufulo

Currently, I have a 115 GB iPhoto (v 9.6.1) library that I share across users on one Mac. It's stored in the shared folder, and all family members have access. After installing the new Photos app and upgrading my library, I moved the new Photos app library into our shared folder, and changed permissions to allow read & write access for a second user, but it still will not open in that user's account. I must avoid duplicating the iPhoto library in each user account because I don't have enough disk space for 3 115GB libraries.

You have been lucky, that it worked for iPhoto previously. Sharing an iPhoto Library in a shared folder has not been supported for iPhoto since a few years. See this link to Apple's support document: iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users - Apple Support


The problem is, that is accessing an iPhoto Library or a Photos Library from adifferent usr account will change the file ownership of internal photo library files, and storing the library in a shared folder does not help. Everytime a user opens the library in the Shared folder, the other user may be required to repair the permissions on the library before the library can be opened to fix the ownership of internal files. This is the same for Aperture, iPhoto '11, Photos for Mac. For Aperture or iPhoto it helped to keep the library on an external drive or a separate disk partition with the "Ignore Ownership" flag set for the partition or drive, as described in iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users - Apple Support .

Even the "Ignore ownership" flag does not suffice for Photos for Mac, if the shared Photos Library is the System Photo Library. Some background processes are keeping the system Photo Library in use, even after quitting Photos. All other users need to log out, before another user can open the shared Photos Library, even if it is on a partition with "Ignore Ownership" enabled.


I must avoid duplicating the iPhoto library in each user account because I don't have enough disk space for 3 115GB libraries.

If your only concern is the increased storage and not the ability to share the library, I would invest into a large external drive to accomodate private libraries for all users instead of fighting the way Apple's photos applications have been designed. Photo libraries are growing quickly, and sooner or later your internal drive will be too small anyway. Photos for Mac offers man ways to share selected photos, but the libraries are meant for personal use.

And frankly, I prefer to keep my photo libraries private. I would not want family members to mess up my libraries. I give them selected photos I want them to have and import selected photos other family members want to share, but I would not want all their photos in my libraries.

Aug 29, 2016 11:04 PM in response to jazznewt

Wow, this thread has discouraged me from buying a new mac. I wanted to upgrade my old iMac to a new Macbook Pro and set up an external drive to hold a photo library shared between my new laptop and my wife's current laptop, but I'm not about to drop $2K for something so simple not to work.


This is very sensible. If what you are buying won't do what you want then don't buy it. However, you'll have the same problem on every other OS as well. A Photos Library is not just a collection of files, but a complex database of virtual edits, originals, metadata all interlinked with a major online component. So, on no other OS will you get that for free anyway, and even the paid apps will not do what you want as, believe it or not, sharing such a complex database is not remotely simple.


You can of course, share collections of photos any way you want, just avoid anything database driven. That's much the same on any OS.

Sep 4, 2016 2:35 PM in response to Rufulo

First sorry because do not speak very well english.

I have the same problem: one OSX Photos' Library and wanted share it with my wife, same iMac but different accounts. I understand very well JDW1's anger because: I do not want/can/need pay icloud, because I have a huge hard disk (3TB) so... I placed the Photos' Library in the Shared folder in /Users/Shared, but every time started the app pop up the message "It's necessary repair..." if the last user in was not the same to used it. The problem was the owner of directory/folder, if I use the Photos app, the directory must be mine and must be changed every time.

I teach Linux, and thought "enough repairs".

The solution

- Usually the both user (my wife and me) and in the "staff" group, my wife has permissions to admin

- Better if the Photos' Library folder is placed in the Shared folder (see above).

- Open Terminal app and write like superuser (between parenthesis clarifications, do not write it or anything inside, only the word at the left):

su (write the admin password and the prompt change to finish from "$" to "#" symbol, no you are "root", if not happend in the follow lines write "sudo" before the words, ie: sudo chmod -R 4775 fototeca )

cd /Users/Shared

ls -la (you must see the name of your Photos' Library)

chown -R staff writethefullynameofthephotoslibrary

chmod -R 4775 writethefullynameofthephotoslibrary

ls -la (you have to read a line like drwsrwxr-x@ 24 manolo staff 816 4 sep 21:58 Fototeca.photoslibrary)


Close Terminal if you want.


What have we done? I have used a Operating System Unix's characteristics: sticky bit. You can read in the web about it. The sticky bit can be seen in the letter "s" (dwrs....)


Try it.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ahora en Castellano que es mi lengua, aunque más resumido.

El problema está en que desde que Apple ha sacado Photos/Fotos cuando intentas compartir la librería de esa aplicación con otro usuario de tu mismo Mac, siempre hay problemas.


Yo tengo el mismo problema: la biblioteca del programa de OSX Fotos la quiero compartir con mi esposa, porque usamos el mismo iMac, pero con diferentes cuentas. Entiendo muy bien la ira de JDW1 porque: no quiero/puedo/pagar icloud, y porque tengo un disco duro enorme (3 TB) así que ... Situé la Biblioteca en la carpeta compartida en /Users /Shared, pero cada vez que lanzo la aplicación aparece un mensaje "es necesaria la reparación de permisos..." y esto se produce cada vez que el último usuario que usó la aplicación es distinto al de ahora. El problema era que el dueño del directorio/carpeta de la aplicación Fotos, el directorio debe ser el que lo usa y por lo tanto debe ser cambiado cada vez, de ahí la necesidad de reparar los permisos.

Enseño Linux, y pensé "ya estoy harto".

La solución

- Por lo general, el usuario tanto mi esposa y yo, estamos y en el grupo de "staff", mi mujer tiene permisos a administrador

- Mejor si la carpeta fototeca se coloca en la carpeta compartida (véase más arriba).

- Abre la aplicación Terminal y escribe como superusuario (entre paréntesis aclaraciones, no escriba nada del interior, sólo la palabra a la izquierda):

su (escribir la contraseña de administrador y verá como cambia el final del prompt de "$" al símbolo "#", ahora eres el usuario "root", si no es así quizá deba escribir "sudo" antes de las palabras, es decir: sudo chmod -R Fototeca 4775)

cd /Users/Shared

ls -la (ahora puede ver el nombre completo de su fototeca)

chown -R staff nombrecompletodelafototeca

chmod -R 4775 writethefullynameofthephotoslibrary

ls -la (debe ver una línea como: drwsrwxr-x@ 24 manolo staff 816 4 sep 21:58 Fototeca.photoslibrary )



Cerrar la terminal si lo desea.



¿Qué hemos hecho? He utilizado las características de los sistemas Unix: el sticky bit. El sticky bit se puede ver en la letra "s" (DWRs ....) Puede leer en la web sobre ello.



Pruébelo a ver.

Sep 5, 2016 2:36 AM in response to léonie

Hi Léonie.

I have deleted, added and modified with both accounts and it's working, but first always closing the app before change to the other user if he/she wants use it, because it is blocked by the first one, it's not necessary close de session.

I have not tried it for a long time, and know that it is a patch and do not know what will append in the next update (system or app), meanwhile It's working.

Sep 5, 2016 4:28 AM in response to ManuelSJR

because it is blocked by the first one, it's not necessary close de session.

You have been lucky, if you do not log out, before you try to open the library from a different account, for two reasons. As long as you are logged in, you cannot be sure, if Photos has really terminated, after you quit it, because of the process model (Automatic termination and Auto save introduced by Lion http://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/07/mac-os-x-10-7/8/). Photos may be blocking the library, even after you quit it. And the face detection and syncing with iCloud can also be blocking the library and keep it in use, after you quit Photos. So, if you should get a warning, that your Photos Library is in use, log off. But that is easily done 🙂

Oct 16, 2016 11:39 AM in response to geocip

So I'm assuming by your response that when I reinstall my apps, documents and date from my Time Machine drive I won't be reinstalling Sierra?

It will also work for a partition on your internal drive, if your internal drive is large enough to be partitioned. Many users are buying Macs with a very small internal SSD drive, and then it would not be feasible to partition the system drive.

Oct 25, 2016 8:06 AM in response to JDW1

It's pretty simple. Just look on your Hard Drive and you will see Users. Open Users and there will be your Home Folder as well as your wife's. There will also be a folder titled Shared. Move your Photos library (ies) to this location. Launch Photos with option key and choose this Photos Library for both you and then when your wife is logged in. Now you can both access and add to the Photos Library.

Oct 25, 2016 8:20 AM in response to Grafton Reed

Now you can both access and add to the Photos Library.

But you will have to run a library repair whenever the other user touched the library. The Shared folder worked for the first versions of iPhoto, but since iPhoto '11 and Photos sharing a library in a shared folder is no longer supported. Apple clearly states that a photo library needs to be on a volume with ownership ignored:


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201517


If two or more users attempt to use the same library and the library isn't on a volume where ownership is ignored, you might see unexpected results. For example, you might not be able to see or edit certain photos, or open the library. Follow the steps below to make sure that each user has read/write access to the library.

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new Photos app sharing library across users

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